|
 | | 
13-03-2006, 09:26 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,390
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote
What will I attract if I plant Blackthorn (sloe) Does anything eat the sloe fruit
Endquote
There is a small brown moth called the Sloe Pug - the caterpillar feeds on the flowers. The Black Hairstreak caterpillar feeds on Blackthorn leaves, but it's too rare and sedentary to move to yoiur garden, I'm afraid. Fieldfares for certain eat sloes, and probably other thrushes as well.
henrya |
13-03-2006, 01:12 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Suffolk
Posts: 126
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Kayleigh What wildlife will I attracted if I plant a Hawthorn and what birds eat the haws of the hawthorn.
What will I attract if I plant Blackthorn (sloe)  Does anything eat the sloe fruit. | Can't add anything to previous answers, but a word of caution re Blackthorn: it has particularly vicious spines, notorious for causing septic wounds, so wear thick leather gloves and maybe eye protection when pruning.
T |
13-03-2006, 07:19 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Banbury, Oxfordshire
Posts: 551
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Tursiops Can't add anything to previous answers, but a word of caution re Blackthorn: it has particularly vicious spines, notorious for causing septic wounds, so wear thick leather gloves and maybe eye protection when pruning.
T | Oh yes! after a season of putting out, checking and collecting in Dormouse tubes i can definately second that!
__________________
You don't need eyes to see, you need vision |
13-03-2006, 10:05 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 5,357
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
I have lots of spicky bushes the birds and small mammals appreciate the cover and they keep cats out. |
22-05-2006, 04:20 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 925
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
I remembered that you started this thread some time ago, Nightshade, so just thought I'd ask the following:
What is different about their make-up which gives hawks the ability to hover?
Tink |
22-05-2006, 06:01 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Many birds hover,but I believe only the hummingbirds truly hover,it requires a rotary tilt of the wing to provide lift without forward motion why the kestrel is so good at it is evolutionary(practice)it found a niche and exploited it,owls and other raptors can hover briefly by turning into the wind to reduce or negate their forward speed and that is the best I can do
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
23-05-2006, 10:00 AM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
The Kestrel in particular also spreads its tail feathers when it needs to hover,this gives kite-like additional lift without forward motion and it uses any breeze for lift without forward motion
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
30-08-2006, 05:31 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
What is Britains most Toxic insect?
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
30-08-2006, 06:23 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Gloucester
Posts: 1,382
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nightshade Kayleigh,frogs and most amphibians return to home ponds to mate then disperse again looking for new sites and feeding grounds
I have upwards of 100 frogs and toads here at peak times, the pond is jam packed,they try to mate with anything and everything I have prised them off my fish before now, they grip them around the gills holding them shut and the fish suffocates
Look around the area newts frogs toads (of the home team) tend to hibernate
in the vicinity of the pond | Book me in for next years breeding time please Nightshade. I really need to get some good frog/toad images |
30-08-2006, 06:51 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Certainly Kev Lewis remind me nearer the time
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
30-08-2006, 07:20 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Gloucester
Posts: 1,382
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nightshade Certainly Kev Lewis remind me nearer the time | It's in my diary  Thank you |
30-08-2006, 10:38 PM
|  | Wild Member | | Join Date: May 2006 Location: Falmouth, Cornwall (Uni) and Newton Poppleford, Devon (Home)
Posts: 130
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
As to Britain's most toxic insect, I don't know. Someone once tried to convince me it was the cranefly but they didn't have large enough mouthparts to inject it into humans. As far as I'm aware, cranefly have no mouthparts at all, so I'm more than a little dubious about that particular nugget of information.
I do have, I think, another good one though - why do insects fly towards light?? Maybe this has been covered before on the site, but I promised myself a while ago that I'd find out. I've heard on more than one occasion that with moths it has something to do with using the moon to navigate, but I'm not so sure about whether to believe that or not... can anyone enlighten me? (no pun intended!) |
08-09-2006, 01:21 PM
| | Member of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Hastings, Sussex
Posts: 415
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
As this thread is still going - Most poisonous insect? Not sure but Burnet Moths contain cyanide. Not that I plan to chew on any but it seeps from them when attacked apparently.
TobyH |
08-09-2006, 01:35 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Wolverhampton, West Midlands
Posts: 1,728
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Wild-Woman How does a garden spider get its first slik threads of it's web in place? Some webs are so wide, do they walk to each place or sort of lassoo it? |
Hey, Jules, this is something that intrigues me too .... the other day while on a walk through some woodland nearby, I walked straight into a web strung across the path. The gap between the vegetation on each side of the path was probably 3 or 4 feet!! And I didn't see any scaffolding!! I'm just glad I didn't bump into the spider that built it .... he must be HUGE ... 
__________________
Jez |
08-09-2006, 01:49 PM
|  | Frozen | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.E. Lincolnshire
Posts: 4,130
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
They usually drop a thread from higher up, and let the breeze take it across the gap. They then climb across this and attach a stronger thread. This is used a base to drop other threads from. Not all thread are sticky, and the spider walks on the ones that aren't.
ArachnidAl  |
08-09-2006, 02:01 PM
| | Frozen | | Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.E. Lincolnshire
Posts: 4,130
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
|
08-09-2006, 02:29 PM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Deepest Dorset
Posts: 736
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
^ gr8 |
12-09-2006, 01:50 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
The nice man(Matt)at Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust - Looking after the small things that matter - Home Page tells me that although a lot of insects are poisonous if eaten the taste is usually too unpleasant for this to happen
However the main baddies could be;Velvet Ant(Mutilla europes),Noble false widow(Steatoda
noblis),Lions mane jellyfish(Cyana capillata),Portugese man'o'war (Physalia physalia)
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
12-09-2006, 05:18 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,390
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote
However the main baddies could be;Velvet Ant(Mutilla europes),Noble false widow(Steatoda
noblis),Lions mane jellyfish(Cyana capillata),Portugese man'o'war (Physalia physalia)
Endquote
Did Matt say if these creatures remained poisonous when cooked?
henrya
__________________
This message is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects. |
12-09-2006, 06:10 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,313
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Alan | Thats superb alan cheers...have saved to my faves ...i was still struggling to get my head around this even after reading two descriptions but how plain and simple was that cartoon...sometimes it takes a simple thing like that for it to sink in ...for me anyway. |
12-09-2006, 06:17 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,313
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Quote: |
Originally Posted by nightshade |
Nice one nightshade but i thought by your original Q you meant the most poisonous on a biting/stinging way? not eaten?.....or was your Q based on the danger to wildlife and not humans ?as i dont make a habit of eating insects except those naughty ones we all eat when we are asleep? ...also those offenders you list are they global or uk?...whats regarded as the most poisonous uk insect? is it still the crane fly ( if it could bite?)...
My mum has nearly died TWICE from wasp stings...( although both times in her house at the south of france) she has massive anifelactic reaction and has to carry adrenalin injections and stuff....but she is now going through a year long desensitizing course at hospital. ...also so people understand....its all about timing....apparently if you get stung by a wasp...then exactly ( i cant remember the exact period but will find out) 6 weeks after are unlucky to get stung again ( not a day after or a day before but exact) then your body goes mental and shuts down...this is what happened to my mum and its the start of the allergy / reaction....im trying to say it can happen to us ALL so if you get stung...stay indoors for the next 7 weeks at least ha ha   |
13-09-2006, 05:07 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sheffield, FPRSY
Posts: 5,218
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Anaphyllactic shock is musch more common from honey bee stings but injeecting *any* foreign protein into your blood system can cause it.
I'm not convinced of this 'exactly six weeks' or whatever - it depends mainly on the state of your immune system which varies between people and times.
The main point is that if you do get reactions after an insect sting they will be rapid in appearance and effect. It's important to get *immediate* medical attention - call for an ambulance rather than go searching for a doctor. Easily treated by a syringe of adrenalin! Quote: |
Originally Posted by Dan Salter My mum has nearly died TWICE from wasp stings...( although both times in her house at the south of france) she has massive anifelactic reaction and has to carry adrenalin injections and stuff....but she is now going through a year long desensitizing course at hospital. ...also so people understand....its all about timing....apparently if you get stung by a wasp...then exactly ( i cant remember the exact period but will find out) 6 weeks after are unlucky to get stung again ( not a day after or a day before but exact) then your body goes mental and shuts down...this is what happened to my mum and its the start of the allergy / reaction....im trying to say it can happen to us ALL so if you get stung...stay indoors for the next 7 weeks at least ha ha | |
13-09-2006, 05:28 PM
| | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: N.E.SOMERSET
Posts: 6,815
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Hi Dan the intention was toxic to humans,through biting or stinging but with so few relavant
replys I approached Buglife.com
I actually treated a manager at work who had been bitten and his arm swelled so much that fluid was being forced out of the bite by pressure, he was taken to hospital and kept there
for a few days (anaphyllactic shock as Paul Mabbot says)
__________________
You cannot maintain an ecology, if you lose any of the pieces. |
17-09-2006, 08:43 PM
|  | New Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 21
| | | Re: Wildlife things you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask
Regarding Crane Fly; it is an urban legend that about the posion thing, as it is with all species which are generically named 'daddy long legs'. The term daddy long legs referres to three totally different species. The crane fly and harvestmen, which have no poison and the Pholcid spiders which have very weak venom. I'm not sure about the most poisonous bite/sting though.
m | |
